The perfect way to enjoy the taste of summer is with a cooling treat of easy watermelon sorbet. With just of few simple ingredients, the fresh flavor of watermelon shines through. And when you use an ice cream maker, you can have this icy dessert with less than 30 minutes of prep.
Sorbet, Sherbet or Ice Cream
The difference between sherbet, sorbet, and ice cream is what the base mixture contains.
- A sorbet consists of fruit and sugar with no dairy added.
- A sherbet is also fruit and sugar, but has milk of half and half added to give it a creamier texture and smaller ice feel in the mouth.
- Ice cream must have at least 10% milk fat so is usually made with a custard-base and then flavor accordingly. It is also churned, stirred while freezing.
- Granita is often made with the same base as a sorbet, but instead of using amnestying ice cream maker to freeze the mixture. The base is placed in a shallow pan and when it is semi-frozen it is broken up with a fork. This creates larger and harder ice crystals that are crunchier in texture than a sorbet.
Adapting a Recipe for Ice Cream Maker
You can adapt pretty much any recipe to an electric ice cream maker as long as you don’t overfill the freezer bowl. Plan on a maximum of 6 cups of the mixture to fill the insert or less than 1/ inch from the top of the insert.
The freezer inserts should be stored in the freezer for 18-24 hours before using it. When ready to make a dessert, simply connect the paddle to the freezer container and place the freezer container onto the base. Turn the motor on and add the dessert base, in 20 minutes you will have a frozen treat. If you want a firmer set to your dessert. Transfer the mixture to a container and freeze for 1-2 hours more.
Choosing a Watermelon for Easy Watermelon Sorbet
- Look for a melon that is heavy for its size. If there is a light colored-spot (where it came in contact with the ground while it was growing) a spot that is yellow-ish indicates a ripe melon.
- Tap the melon with your hand flat. If you played basketball and remember the springy feel of the ball against your palm, that bounce is what you are looking for. It indicates a watermelon that is ripe. A dull bounce indicates that the melon is either under-ripe and not sweet or overripe and mealy inside.
- Brown streaks on the flesh are sweet spots and tend to indicate a sweeter melon, but I would go y the heaviness and the bounce back when you gently pat the melon as a better indicator of sweet, ripe melon.
- Plan on each pound of watermelon yielding about 1-1/2 cups of cubed fruit.
Even a seedless watermelon contains seeds which you don’t want in your sorbet. It greatly improves the texture of the dish to take the extra step of straining out the seeds and any stringy flesh from the mixture after the melon is blended.
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Easy Watermelon Sorbet
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
- Category: dessert
- Method: frozen
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
An easy watermelon sorbet that has only 3 ingredients. This refreshing dessert is the perfect way to enjoy the taste of summer.
Ingredients
- 6 cups of watermelon, (about 4 pounds) peeled and cut in into chunks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 lime, zested and juice to equal 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 teaspoons lime zest.
Instructions
- At least 18 hours before, place the ice cream maker insert in the freezer to freeze.
- Peel and cube watermelon to equal 6 cups of melon cubes.
- With a zester, remove the zest from the lime. Cut the lime in half and remove the juice.
- Place the watermelon chunks in a blender and pulse until smooth, about 30 seconds. It may be easier to do this in batches.
- Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the blended watermelon into the strainer. Use a spoon to press the fruit pulp in order to get as much liquid out of the melon. When the pulp is dry and no longer yields any liquid, discard it. The strained watermelon juice will be thin and watery.
- Stir the sugar, lime juice, and zest into the watermelon juice until the sugar has dissolved.
- Place the freezer insert on the base of the ice cream maker and attach the paddle.
- Pour in the watermelon mixture and turn on the motor. After 20 minutes the sorbet should be finished.
- If a firmer texture is desired, transfer the sorbet to a freezer-safe container and freeze for 1-2 hours.
- Serve and enjoy.
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